Friday, July 01, 2011

Maria Sharapova returns to Wimbledon Final

Maria Sharapova, the rejuvenated glamour girl of women's tennis, will take on low-profile Czech player Petra Kvitovain the Wimbledon title showdown after two scrappy semi-finals on Thursday.

Russian fifth seed Sharapova, the 2004 champion, outgunned German wildcard Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 6-3 while eighth-seeded Kvitova reached her first Grand Slam final with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 win over Belarusian fourth seed Victoria Azarenka. World number 62 Lisicki, who had stunned second seeded French Open champion Li Na in the second round, was always in trouble after her powerful serve deserted her midway through the first set. "It's amazing to be back in the final at Wimbledon, it's been a while," a delighted Sharapova said.